Should Children Be Held Back for Kindergarten?

[IIOY]

From today's WSJ:

Erin Odom and her husband, of Mooresville, N.C., spent months last year debating what to do about kindergarten for their daughter. They worried that her fifth birthday fell too close to their school's cutoff date, which would make her one of the youngest children in the class. Their nursery schoolteacher assured them that their daughter would do "just fine" moving ahead, Ms. Odom says, but "we didn't just want her to survive school—we wanted her to thrive."



What ultimately persuaded them to hold her back for a year was talking to other parents. "Those who had pushed their children ahead came to regret it," says Ms. Odom, "while parents who held their children back didn't." She estimates that in her daughter's preschool class of nine children, roughly half were held back, too.



This sort of voluntary delay is known as "academic redshirting," after the practice in college sports of benching a hot prospect for a year to give him time to practice and become an even better player during his four years of eligibility.



According to the National Center for Education Statistics, some 6% of kindergartners are redshirted nationally. But the numbers can vary by neighborhood. Data from Connecticut's department of education show the incidence of redshirting ranging from 2% in poorer school districts to 27% in wealthier ones. Redshirting is easier for families that can afford an extra year of child care or preschool tuition—and the practice can be controversial because of the perceived advantage that it gives to such children.


When Jamie Bakal, an educational consultant with L.A. School Mates in Los Angeles, started her business eight years ago, she saw that children who turned 5 over the summer were often held back for schools with Sept. 1 cutoff dates. She says it then expanded to include children with birthdays in April and May. Today, she says, schools are accepting children who have turned 5 as early as the previous February and March—potentially allowing for a 19-month age spread between classmates.



With the rise of demanding academic standards, states have employed their own kind of redshirting by moving up cutoff dates for kindergarten entry. In 1975, only a few states required children to be 5 before Sept. 15. Today, about three dozen states mandate it. Legislators in Connecticut are considering moving up their kindergarten cutoff date as well, from Jan. 1 to Oct. 1.



Some parents redshirt for the competitive edge that they think an extra year brings—time for a child to grow bigger, smarter, more assertive. Yet Meg Meeker, a pediatrician in Traverse City, Mich., and the author of "Strong Mothers, Strong Sons," says that she sees too many parents redshirting children for the wrong reasons. "While some children really do need that extra year to mature," she says, "I've found redshirting often isn't about what's best for the child. It's about what's best for the parents." Today's hypercompetitive parents, she says, want their children to win in the classroom and in sports, not only so the child looks good but so the parents themselves can feel superior.



The research on the benefits of being older is mixed. Elizabeth Dhuey, an economist at the University of Toronto Scarborough, didn't specifically study redshirting, but she has published several studies showing that being relatively older in a class has some advantages. In one large-scale study, Prof. Dhuey and co-author Kelly Bedard compared the birth months and test scores of more than 200,000 students in several countries. They found the oldest students in fourth grade scored 4% to 12% higher than the youngest, a trend that continued in eighth grade. In another large-scale study, Prof. Dhuey and economist Stephen Lipscomb found the relatively oldest students were 4% to 11% more likely to hold leadership positions in high school.



According to the National Center for Education Statistics, some 6% of kindergartners are 'redshirted' -- or voluntarily delayed -- nationally. Getty Images

Many researchers say that studies on redshirting show no long-term advantage, with any early benefits fading by the time of middle school. As one researcher put it: If you're redshirting as a way to get your child into Harvard, you should rethink your strategy.



Princeton neuroscientist Samuel Wang, co-author of the book "Welcome to Your Brain," says that being around more mature peers actually benefits younger classmates, both behaviorally and academically. He points to a large study that found schooling influences intelligence more than age: The youngest children in a grade scored higher on IQ tests than children the same age one grade lower.



Dr. Meeker cautions parents to think twice before holding a child back who doesn't truly need it. "Redshirting is the initial seed that can grow into a devastating parenting philosophy," she says. In essence, you're telling your child that high achievement comes first—and if you can't do it yourself, then we'll hold you back so you can. She adds, "Every redshirted kindergartner eventually comes to know his parents' motives."

[lasagnasshole]

Really, IIOY? Redshirting again?

Maybe you should go buy some more makeup to play with!

[summer]

I know it's a personal decision but I just can't stand redshirting. Someone in the class has to the youngest and smallest.

And I hate what it does to the standards; kindergarten kids coming in reading Harry Potter.

[Velar Fricative]

I hate redshirting and I blame the schools for allowing it to continue. Make it a rule that if parents attempt to redshirt for K, their kid will be enrolled in first grade instead.

And congratulations, your kid is ahead of everyone else because they are 19 months older than the younger kids. Not because they are Sheldon Cooper.

[frlcb]

Sept 13, 2014 14:45:29 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

I hate redshirting and I blame the schools for allowing it to continue. Make it a rule that if parents attempt to redshirt for K, their kid will be enrolled in first grade instead.

And congratulations, your kid is ahead of everyone else because they are 19 months older than the younger kids. Not because they are Sheldon Cooper.

.

Not to mention that if you hold your child back to make them more mature how are you accomplishing that by sticking then with kids a year younger?

And the repercussions of this on lower socio economic classes are horrible, but no one cares cause they want their kids to be the best.

[laurenpetro]

STOP RUINING MY WEEKEND

[joenali]

My birthday is September 6. I started K when I had just turned 5. I cried every day. My mom took me out after a month. BUT, back then no one really went to preschool. Both my brother and I didn't go. So my mom put me in preschool. Who knows, if I had gone to preschool before I had turned 5, maybe it would have been different. But some kids are genuinely not ready.

[curbsideprophet]

I think it is interesting that sending your kid on time is considering pushing them forward if they are near the cut off.

[Deleted]

I was the youngest girl. At the time, PAs cut off was Jan 31, so I made it by 10 days. When we moved to NY it was Dec 1;and my brother was Dec 15 so we were both young for NY standards. They watched us for two wks and made sure our scores were ok the first yr but it was fine. It was a bit socially awkward once I was in accelerated classes in MS/HS, but whatever. There are plenty of people who just don't find their niche in HS (or ever really...) and age has little to do with it. I'm sure there are some kids genuinely not ready, but not everyone is that sensitive, and often kids can thrive if you give them challenges (like being with older kids) with the right tools and support.

[cville]

I am not at all in favor of voluntary redshirting for the hell of it, but the paragraph about how states have changed their cut off dates was striking to me. I've suspected that for awhile just based on what I've seen personally. I think that is adding to SOME of the hysteria I see over the whole concept, since classes skew older even if everyone is following the mandates.

[jlt19]

I hate this. I hate I have to debate this internally with myself (and I guess externally with DH) for both of our kids. They're June/July babies and the cutoff for us is Aug 1. I wish it wasn't a decision to make, I wish you just HAD to follow the rules of the cutoff, unless there was an obvious developmental delay.

But, I think our schools have one of the earliest cut offs, so if the kids went somewhere where the cutoff was in October or even Jan 1, it wouldn't even be an issue, they'd start K just after turning 5. Which is where we're leaning towards anyway (gets them out of the house that much sooner )

ETA: If we "redshirted" it wouldn't be for competitive reasons but for maturity reasons later on, like in JH and HS.

[sparrowsong]

Sept 13, 2014 14:52:44 GMT -5 frlcb said:

And the repercussions of this on lower socio economic classes are horrible, but no one cares cause they want their kids to be the best.

This is a good point. Kids in lower economic classes are more likely to have a single parent supporting them, or two parents who must work, no mom who has free to choose to be a sahm. And public school is free unlike daycare. Add these kids to a classroom with half of the kids redshirted and it's just another check in the column of disadvantages stacking up against them.

I wonder if it making the teachers job harder too. Instead of a spread of one year in age, you end up with a spread of 2-3 years. Little Johnny still having some potty accidents and learning letters, while little Susie is starting on some easier chapter books. Probably makes lesson planning pretty difficult.

[sangria]

This enrages me.

The new era of redshirting for K goes hand in hand with anti-vaxxers as far as I'm concerned.

Notice these things happen in mostly white, upper crust wealthy communities? Beacause mom and dad have no "real" worries in life so creating these ridiculous circumstances gives their brains something to do?

It just smacks of wealthy white folks with too much time on their hands.

[borinquen57]

I hate this trend! Chicago Public Schools is strict about age, and I'm glad for that.

[stever]

I hate redshirting! But I dig the fact that its benefits peter out by middle school.

[curbsideprophet]

Sept 13, 2014 16:00:01 GMT -5 cville said:

I am not at all in favor of voluntary redshirting for the hell of it, but the paragraph about how states have changed their cut off dates was striking to me. I've suspected that for awhile just based on what I've seen personally. I think that is adding to SOME of the hysteria I see over the whole concept, since classes skew older even if everyone is following the mandates.

It would not really be an issue if the cutoffs were strict. I don't think making sure everyone turns 5 before they start is that big of deal (which is basically what moving the cutoff to Aug/Sept does). It becomes a problem when people with March/April birthdays consider delaying their kids.

[Deleted]

Haven't studies shown that people do best in life who learn to work through struggles? Grit and all that.

My parents kept trying to find stuff that I was bad at as a kid so I would learn to work hard. I am not nearly as gritty as I wish I were, but it was definitely good for me to be the worst kid in my softball team. I sure as hell am not the smartest person I know and I need to be able to deal with that.

[stephm0188]

Sometimes it's a good idea to hold them back. Sometimes it's not. Depends on the reasoning.

My kid's BFF at school is in the same grade as him. He's nearly a full year older. He turned 7 two weeks after finishing kindergarten. In his case, it wasn't a bad decision. He's immature and finds himself getting into trouble in class because it it, and he struggles with a lot of academic areas. It was a good choice for him. It wasn't to make him more mature, but to bring him up to a maturity level that would be on the same level as his classmates, despite being older. If you didn't know his birthday, you wouldn't have the slightest clue that he's a year older than his classmates, because he's at the same level in every other way.

My son has an IEP for speech and motor delays. His preschool team encouraged us to consider redshirting him to allow him to have another year in preschool to strengthen his speech and motor skills. Their concerns were legitimate- they worried about the social emotional impact because of his speech, and his ability to keep up with classroom work because of the fine and gross motor issues. We really weighed all the pros and cons but decided to send him to kindergarten anyhow, and it was the right thing to do for him. He's thriving academically and ahead of his class in most areas. His teachers have reported that even though he's sometimes hard to understand, none of the kids tease him or exclude him. It's the opposite really- he's well liked by other kids and praised often for being a good role model. He's learned how to compensate for his deficits in other ways.

Doing it to give kids a false advantage academically or athletically is ridiculous though. I silently judged the mom who told me she held her kid back so she could have an extra year at home with her.

[KB]

Sept 13, 2014 16:18:56 GMT -5 deej said:

I hate red shirting as a parent and as a former teacher. I once taught an 8 year old in kindergarten.

Say what?

[soxin2]

If I could put my 4.5yo (April bday) in K I absolutely would.

[Deleted]

As I've said before about this topic, I don't think it's right or reasonable for parents to decide for themselves their child isn't ready for Kindergarten. The vast majority of them are not qualified or objective enough to make that decision. If your kid is on the cusp, send then and they can repeat Kindergarten if it doesn't work out.

I would hazard to guess thought that kids whose parents are of the mind to redshirt their child have the resources to help a struggling kindergarten make it through.

[KateAggie]

My across the street neighbor held her just turned 5 year old back...he'll start K with Natalie. I honestly can't imagine him handling K right now. To me, there's a world of difference between holding back someone close to the cutoff date for maturity purposes, and holding back someone for athletic advantage.

[FloFTW]

I'm thinking of sending my daughter "early" (she misses the cutoff by 2 weeks) and some people are AGHAST. It's barely even red shirting anymore if everyone does it.

[ringstrue]

Oh I got told to hold DS back when I was still pg!!

Idk WTF people think is gonna happen between 4 and 5 to get their kids "more mature" if it hasn't happened in the past year or so. DDs class was full of boys and if anything they could have used the extra structure actual school provides that last year. If they don't learn to be better when they are developmentally ready, they will just learn how to be bad and develop more bad habits to they need to break. I swear, I'd get behind starting school or atleast a structured "school day" with stricter consequences at 4.5 for most kids.

Why is it we work and push kids to develop early their entire babyhood and all their toddler years but then once kindy hits it's like "no wait not ready!!"

[cville]

Sept 13, 2014 17:55:43 GMT -5 curbsideprophet said:

Sept 13, 2014 16:00:01 GMT -5 cville said:

I am not at all in favor of voluntary redshirting for the hell of it, but the paragraph about how states have changed their cut off dates was striking to me. I've suspected that for awhile just based on what I've seen personally. I think that is adding to SOME of the hysteria I see over the whole concept, since classes skew older even if everyone is following the mandates.

It would not really be an issue if the cutoffs were strict. I don't think making sure everyone turns 5 before they start is that big of deal (which is basically what moving the cutoff to Aug/Sept does). It becomes a problem when people with March/April birthdays consider delaying their kids.

Yes?  I understand that?

I don't have enough education about education to know if the school systems as a whole moving up their dates is or is not a good idea.  But I hear a lot of "I went to kindergarten when I was 4!  Everyone now must be redshirting!"  And I think much of that is due to changes in school mandates, not necessarily redshirting behavior. 

[KateAggie]

Sept 13, 2014 19:42:11 GMT -5 ringstrue said:

Oh I got told to hold DS back when I was still pg!!

Idk WTF people think is gonna happen between 4 and 5 to get their kids "more mature" if it hasn't happened in the past year or so. DDs class was full of boys and if anything they could have used the extra structure actual school provides that last year. If they don't learn to be better when they are developmentally ready, they will just learn how to be bad and develop more bad habits to they need to break. I swear, I'd get behind starting school or atleast a structured "school day" with stricter consequences at 4.5 for most kids.

Why is it we work and push kids to develop early their entire babyhood and all their toddler years but then once kindy hits it's like "no wait not ready!!"

Wait, what?  A lot of change happens in a year, especially 4 to 5, and 5 to 6.

[teflepi]

Sept 13, 2014 19:42:11 GMT -5 ringstrue said:

Oh I got told to hold DS back when I was still pg!!

Idk WTF people think is gonna happen between 4 and 5 to get their kids "more mature" if it hasn't happened in the past year or so. DDs class was full of boys and if anything they could have used the extra structure actual school provides that last year. If they don't learn to be better when they are developmentally ready, they will just learn how to be bad and develop more bad habits to they need to break. I swear, I'd get behind starting school or atleast a structured "school day" with stricter consequences at 4.5 for most kids.

Why is it we work and push kids to develop early their entire babyhood and all their toddler years but then once kindy hits it's like "no wait not ready!!"

They agr greatly between 4 & 5. Wth are you saying ? It is not thr same as 16 & 17. I'm confused by your confusion.

[overture]

Can we combine the redshirters with the people who will basically blow someone to get their kid into a great out-of-neighborhood school? If your kid doesn't start on time - bottom of the list.

*eta: I didn't mean this to sound like the camping out thread is evidence of this - it just made me reflect on some of the ridiculous behavior I've heard parents pulling to get their kids into school

[Deleted]

I would think what ringstrue is referring to is the constant one upping and bragging parents do about how advanced their babies, toddlers, and preschoolers are. OMG, Little Johnny is so smart, he walked right out of my uterus and started speaking in full sentences when he was six months. But then when it comes time for school, nope, their kid is totally just not ready.

[overture]

Sept 13, 2014 20:35:26 GMT -5 @helenabonhamcarter said:

I would think what ringstrue is referring to is the constant one upping and bragging parents do about how advanced their babies, toddlers, and preschoolers are. OMG, Little Johnny is so smart, he walked right out of my uterus and started speaking in full sentences when he was six months. But then when it comes time for school, nope, their kid is totally just not ready.

I'm surprised people like this don't just "plan" their pregnancies around school cut off dates.